Superman's Kryptonite
by greaserslady
Summary: When Copper moves to Tulsa she gets all sorts of attention from Greasers and Socs alike. But everyone is surprised when a certain Greaser leader starts to show interest in her. DarryOC
1. Copper

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any characters from _The Outsiders. _They belong to S.E. Hinton and I'm not making any money from this.**

**A/N: I made this chapter a little short so any of you who read this can let me know what you think and can critisize my writing. Don't worry, I won't be mad if you say something is wrong with my writing or story. As long as you do it in a respectful manner I'll be grateful! **

**_ Chapter One: Copper_ **

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Copper Terris had just moved into Tulsa about a week ago and this was her first time actually getting out of the house. Her mother had kept her busy unpacking and setting up their small house, which was located on the east side of town. It was just the two of them since her dad had walked out a few years earlier. Copper's mom worked really hard just to get by and they ended up having to skip rent on their last house and wound up in beautiful Tulsa. She had been hired in a factory that just opened up on the north side of town and jumped at the opportunity. Copper didn't mind really; she knew her mom just wanted what was best for her. She could deal with moving around. But now that they were finally settled and unpacked she was itching to get out and explore her new home. When her mom left for work at 10 o'clock that morning, Copper wasted little time in getting ready to go out. It was the beginning of August and school wouldn't be in session for another month--plenty of time for her to meet some of her future classmates.

Copper was seventeen and would be starting her junior year of high school. She had dark brown hair a little longer than shoulder length and big brown eyes. She always seemed to be drawing all sorts of attention to herself. Either by just how pretty she was or by how fast her mouth was. She had a real problem with authority and didn't bother to hide it. In her teachers' eyes she was a waste of brains since she was really smart but would rather be getting into fights and partying than doing homework. But in her friends' eyes she was a true sweetheart with a rough exterior. She always had her friends' backs and was looking out for them no matter what.

Dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top Copper walked down one of the back streets of Tulsa, looking for something interesting to do. There were a bunch of kids her age out but they all looked at her with either fear or disgust in their eyes. She guessed she was in the wrong part of town to be dressed the way she was. The girls she saw all had designer skirts and blouses on, nothing like what she was wearing. She should have known to run when she heard a few pairs of footsteps behind her, but of course her pride got the better of her and she turned around with a big grin on her face. Her smile faltered a little when she came face to face with five huge, flood-pant clad, gorilla-like guys.

"What's a greaser doing out here all by herself?", the apparent leader asked arrogantly.

"Well I'm not sure what a greaser is but since you boys obviously don't like them I'll be leaving now. Bye!", Copper said quickly and sprinted down an alleyway close by, right into their trap.

At the end of the alleyway there was a blue mustang convertible with another gorilla-like guy behind the steering wheel. Before Copper could think of a way out she was tackled by the guys chasing her and given a few quick punches to the head and gut. Soon after everything went black.

**A/N: Please review if you want this story to continue! Also include any ideas or events that you'd like to see in later chapters. Please don't just comment with 'update!!!' because I'd like actual feedback. **


	2. Socs and Greasers

**Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own _The Outsiders_. That belongs to S.E. Hinton and I'm not making any money from this.**

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_**Chapter Two: Socs and Greasers**_

Copper woke up about an hour later in a pretty nice bedroom. It was easily twice the size of her bedroom and obviously belonged to a girl since there was pink everywhere. She got up off the floor, where she had been sitting propped up against the wall opposite the door, and walked over to the vanity. She looked in the mirror expecting to see a black and blue mess but all she saw was one medium sized bruise right above her left eye. She lifted up her shirt and only saw a couple small bruises. This really had her confused. She had expected to be in horrible condition considering she was knocked out and kidnapped. Then it hit her that she had to take advantage of this time and try to escape. She ran over to the door and tried to open it--locked, of course. Next she went over to the window but when she looked out she saw that she was on the second floor and it was much too high to jump. Just as Copper was really starting to panic the door unlocked and opened to reveal a girl around her age with cherry red hair.

"Hi, I'm Sherry," the girl said politely.

"Hi, I'm your prisoner. Why the hell am I here?" Copper demanded.

"Don't worry, nobody's going to hurt you--well, anymore than those idiots already have. It was my idea to have you brought here," Sherry explained while closing the door and walking towards Copper.

"Why would you want me brought here?" Copper asked while eyeing up the now unlocked door.

"My brother's waiting outside the door and he's not in a very good mood since I yelled at him for treating you so harshly, so I wouldn't try to run if I was you. Please sit down so we can talk," Sherry said, sounding very sweet and almost motherly. Copper sat down on the bed and Sherry did as well.

"So, you wanted me brought here. Why didn't you just come talk to me instead of kidnapping me?" Copper asked.

"Because you're a hood; you wouldn't have listened to anything a Soc like me said. Besides, I doubt you would have went along with my plan if I just asked."

Copper quirked an eyebrow. She was becoming more confused by the second.

"Plan? And what's a 'hood' and a 'Soc'?" she asked.

"What do you mean 'what's a hood and a Soc'? You're a hood, a Greaser." Sherry said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, well that's swell but I still have no idea what that is. I just moved here, I don't know anybody, and that's the second time someone's called me a 'Greaser'," Copper said with annoyance rising in her voice.

"Oh my goodness. So you really don't know?" Sherry asked. When Copper shook her head 'no' she continued, "A Soc is someone like me--well-off and popular. A Greaser, or a hood, is someone like, well, you. Someone who lives on the east side of town and is rebellious. They're rival gangs here in Tulsa and I just hate it. I'm sick of everybody dying and getting hurt all the time. That's why I wanted you to come here, so we could avoid the rumble that's going to happen tonight. If we use you as leverage, maybe the Greasers won't fight and no one will get hurt…" Sherry trailed off with tears building up in her eyes.

It was quiet for a few minutes while Copper thought about everything Sherry had just told her.

"I doubt the Greasers will stop fighting just because the Socs have me. I mean, they don't even know me. Plus, what happens if they don't fight and I'm stuck with a bunch of strangers? Or if they do fight and I'm caught up in the middle of it? You're crazy to think I'd go along with something like that," Copper said while standing up.

"Wait! I know they won't fight! Those Curtis boys wouldn't let the rest of them fight if there was a girl involved, they're real nice like that. And the Socs don't want to fight tonight anyway--too many of our guys are off on vacation for the summer. It'd be an unfair advantage for the Greasers," she almost pleaded with Copper.

"Oh, I see the problem now. You don't think the Socs could take the Greasers, that's the real reason you kidnapped me. Not because you want peace or any of that crap," Copper spat at her.

"No, I do want peace but that's not possible. At the end of the day Greasers are still gonna be Greasers and Socs are still gonna be Socs. Nothing's going to change that--not yet anyway. Not this soon after their deaths…" Sherry trailed off once again but this time didn't stop a couple of tears from falling down her face. She hastily wiped them away as Copper sat back down.

"Whose deaths?" Copper asked a little more softly.

"Last summer a Soc named Bob--my boyfried--was killed by a Greaser named Johnny. I don't know the whole story but Johnny and his friend Ponyboy, he's the youngest Curtis, ran and hid in the country for a while. The church they were staying in caught on fire and Johnny was burned really bad. He died in the hospital and then his friend Dally was killed by the police for robbing a convenience store. I guess he lost control after Johnny died. It made the tension between the Socs and Greasers even worse than it had been before. It's still really bad. This will be the second rumble since then. In the last rumble my brother had a knife pulled on him and I just don't want that to happen again!" Sherry was crying by the end of her speech. Copper scooted closer and awkwardly put her arm around Sherry's shoulders. Sherry wrapped her arms around Copper and cried into her shoulder. Copper rubbed her back and let her cry. This girl had obviously not talked about these incidents before now and needed someone to lean on.

When Sherry was finished crying she thanked Copper and went into the bathroom to wash her face. Copper sat on the bed thinking about everything she'd learned in the past half hour. Should she help Sherry try to stop the rumble tonight or should she try to escape? The door suddenly opened for the second time but instead of a sweet Sherry in the doorway there was the gorilla-like guy who had been driving the car.

"Time to go," he said and Sherry came out of the bathroom. She nodded to him and looked at Copper expectantly.

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**A/N: Please review if you want this story to continue! Let me know what you're thinking--good or bad. I love all feedback. Happy Halloween! **


	3. Randy's House

**Disclaimer: I do not own**_** The Outsiders**_**. It belongs to S.E. Hinton and I'm making no money from this. **

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_**Chapter Three: Randy's House**_

"I doubt this is going to work but I guess I don't have much of a choice but to go along with it," Copper said and stood. "The rumble's going to be this early in the day?"

"Oh, no. It's not until 9 o'clock tonight," Sherry said.

"What time is it now?" Copper asked, realizing she had no idea what time it was.

Sherry looked at her watch and said "1:30. We have to go over Randy's house, he's basically the leader of the Socs. I still have to explain the plan to him."

"Yeah, what exactly am I supposed to do?" Copper asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Basically just act scared," Sherry said nonchalantly.

Copper nodded slowly. "Sounds like a ball."

"This is my brother, Mike," Sherry said, gesturing to the boy still standing in the doorway. He merely grunted in response. "Well I guess we should be going before Randy gets impatient."

Copper was about to walk towards the door when Mike pulled a rope out of his back pocket. She saw it and automatically began backing up.

"It's okay, Copper. We just want to make sure you don't try to run or anything," Sherry said with that motherly tone again.

Copper sighed and held her hands out in front of her in defeat. Mike tied them together with the rope quickly and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I bet you're used to this, huh hood?" he said with a smirk.

Before Copper could respond he walked out of the room, followed by Sherry and shortly thereafter herself.

'I can't believe he just said that to me.' is all Copper kept saying to herself in her head on the way to Mike's car. As soon as she got in she was instructed by Mike to lie down in the back so that nobody would see her with them. 'Must be embarrassed to be seen with a Greaser.' It took about ten minutes to get to Randy's house and Sherry shuffled Copper in the door quickly. As soon as Cooper was in the house she immediately felt out of place. This house was huge--bigger than Sherry and Mike's had been. She was afraid to touch anything because it all looked so expensive but at the same time she was in awe out how beautiful everything was. She didn't even notice right away when Sherry took the ropes off of her arms. It was the kind of house she dreamed of living in when she was a little girl. A boy who looked to be the same age as Mike came into the entryway and interrupted Copper's thoughts.

"It's nice, huh Greaser?" he said with a sneer. Oh yeah, Copper could definitely see him as the leader of the Socs.

"Yeah, it is. Too bad the person who lives here isn't," she said with the same tone.

"Watch your mouth you filthy bitch," he snapped.

Copper was about to say something else when Sherry interrupted. She probably didn't want any problems before the rumble tonight.

"Randy, why don't we go talk about the plan I told you about earlier?"

Randy nodded and quickly shot Copper a glare before signaling for them to follow him. He led them into the family room and waited until they were all seated on the couch before sitting in an armchair. Copper was at one end of the couch, furthest away from Randy, and Sherry and Mike were on the other. Mike flipped on the T.V. while Sherry explained the plan to Randy. Copper watched the baseball game that was on absently. She was thinking about what was going to happen at the rumble that night. If the Greasers were anything like the gangs in her old town they wouldn't stop fighting just to make sure she was okay. Hell, some of 'em might even take a swing at her if they think she's associated with the Socs.

After an hour and a half Sherry was finally able to convince Randy to go along with her plan. It really didn't take much but she had to repeat everything a couple times before it sank into his thick skull. Randy and Mike seemed to forget Copper even existed for the next few hours while they watched sports and talked about whatever it is they talk about. Copper tuned them out after a while because she was sick of hearing them complain about things that a poor person would never complain about. Things like Randy's dad refusing to buy him a new car because he dented the bumper on his other one. Sherry, however, didn't complain about anything. In fact after a while of listening to them she got up and sat closer to Copper.

"They can be such idiots sometimes," she whispered.

Copper snorted. "Only sometimes?"

"Okay, maybe most of the time," Sherry said while laughing.

"So I take it that after tonight you'll act like you've never met me before, right?" Copper asked after a moment of silence.

"It's nothing personal. It's just that it wouldn't look right, a Soc and a Greaser bein' nice to each other. That's the way things work around here. It's not fair, really. There are some right fine Greasers that I'd like to be friends with but it's not allowed," Sherry said.

Copper didn't say anything, just mused over what Sherry had just said. She seemed genuinely upset about not being able to be friends with Greasers but on the other hand if she wanted to be friends that badly she would go ahead and do it--regardless of what people thought or said. Are the Greasers the same way? Will other Greasers turn one of their friends away if they start hanging out with a Soc?

"Dinner's ready!" said a woman as she appeared in the doorway. Copper assumed she was Randy's mom.

"Okay, we'll be right there, mom," Randy said and, after she walked away, asked Copper "You do know how to use silverware, right? Or do you just use your hands?" Mike started laughing like it was the funniest thing he's ever heard and Sherry glared at Randy.

Copper chuckled sarcastically before saying, "I think I'll be able to manage, but thanks for your concern."

Dinner lasted until 8:00 and was completely uneventful. Literally. Not one person said a word aside from 'pass the salt'. After dinner Copper once again had her hands tied, this time behind her, and was told to lie down in the back of Mike's car. Randy took his own car to pick up a few others before heading to where the rumble was to take place. Somewhere that they referred to as simply 'the lot'. Mike drove to his house first and, to Coppers' horror, Sherry got out.

"Hey, why isn't she going?" Copper asked Mike once he sped out of the driveway.

"The rumble's no place for a lady," he said simply. He seemed to be annoyed that he was the 'babysitter'.

"Gee, thanks," Copper mumbled.

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**A/N: Please review if you want the story to continue! **


	4. The Rumble

**Disclaimer: _The Outsiders_ belongs to S.E. Hinton and I'm not making money from this.**_**  
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_**Chapter Four: The Rumble**_

Mike and Copper arrived at the lot at 8:30. When Mike got out of the car he locked the doors so Copper couldn't get out, since her hands were tied behind her back. She sat up and looked out the windows and saw four other expensive cars parked off to one side of the lot--which turned out to be a big park with a few pieces of playground toys and a fountain. She also saw about ten guys talking to Mike, Socs she figured. After a few minutes of waiting Randy's car pulled up and he got out, followed by four others who had ridden with him. She couldn't clearly hear what they were all talking about but she did hear the phrase 'Greaser whore' dropped a few times.

At almost 9 o'clock exactly Copper heard yelling and hooting coming from the other side of the lot. She looked over and there were at least twenty boys walking towards the middle. They all had greasy hair that was longer than any of the Socs' and were wearing blue jeans. She knew right away that these were the Greasers and felt a sense of relief wash over her. This was the type of people she was used to. Not these rich, snobby Socs. Still, though, she needed to be careful. Who knows how the Greasers would react to her.

When the Greasers stopped in the middle of the lot, Mike walked over to his car, unlocked it, and pulled Copper out. He held her by the rope tied around her wrists and pushed her in front of him as the Socs walked to meet the them. Once they stopped they were about ten feet from the Greasers, with Mike and Copper in the front along side Randy. Copper saw the entire group of Greasers look at her with confusion and look at each other, asking if anybody knew her. One of the Greasers in the front took a small step forward. He appeared to be the leader. He was tall and really muscular. And really handsome, Copper noted.

"What's all this?" he asked Mike, gesturing to Copper.

"This is a new little Greaser we found walking around today. We'll be more than happy to return her to you if you back off," Randy answered for Mike.

"Listen, we don't know who she is so just let her go. She's got nothing to do with this," the Greaser said.

"Well if you don't want her I guess I'll just keep her," Mike said and pulled Copper close to him. To her absolute horror he leaned down and kissed her right on the lips. She didn't even think, just quickly brought her knee up right into his groin. He doubled over, holding himself, while the Greasers roared with laughter. While Mike was on the ground in pain Randy stalked over to Copper and backhanded her hard across the face. She fell to the ground and tasted blood from her lip. The laughing from the Greasers stopped immediately and they all charged the Socs. Copper closed her eyes, waiting to be trampled, but felt herself being lifted up by strong arms. She opened her eyes and saw that the Greaser that had been talking earlier was holding her and carrying her over to a younger boy.

"It's going to be okay, no one's gonna hurt ya," he said when he realized she was watching him. "Ponyboy!" he yelled to the boy.

Ponyboy stopped in mid punch and let the Soc he was fighting drop to the ground when he saw the man approaching.

"Take her back to our house and make sure she's okay. We'll be home soon," the apparent leader said to Ponyboy and set Copper down in front of him. As soon as Ponyboy nodded he ran back to where Randy was and began fighting with him.

Copper looked at Ponyboy and he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the lot. Once they were on the street he let her go and they started walking down the road.

"My name's Copper Terris. Thanks for helping me out," is all Copper could think of to say to break the silence.

"Name's Ponyboy Curtis. And it's no problem, you needed help," he said and then paused. "How'd you end up with the Socs, anyway?" he asked.

Copper was about to answer when a surge of pain hit her head. The hit from Randy was kicking in and giving her an extremely painful headache. Ponyboy saw the look of pain on her face and picked up his pace slightly. In a couple of minutes they were walking up the pathway to a small, mildly rundown house. Ponyboy opened the door and led her into a very cozy living room.

"You can sit down, I'm gonna go get a knife to cut that rope," he said and walked into the kitchen.

Copper sat on the couch and tried to ignore the pain in her head. She hoped that Randy was getting the shit beat out of him right now. Ponyboy reentered the living room quickly with a knife in one hand and a first aid kit in the other. He cut the rope that was binding Copper's hands together and she massaged her wrists for a minute.

"I figured you'd wanna clean your lip," Ponyboy said while handing her the first aid kit. "The bathroom's right through the kitchen to the right."

Copper thanked him again and walked to the bathroom. Once inside she closed the door and set the first aid kit on the sink. She took a deep breath and looked into the mirror. Now she had the bruise from before plus a new bruise forming on her cheek. On top of that her lip was split open pretty good and she had blood trickling down her chin. She took a washcloth off the shelf next to the sink and ran it under warm water before wiping her face clean. Then she opened up the first aid kit and took out a cotton ball and peroxide. She used that to clean her lip and applied pressure so it would stop bleeding. When she was finished she cleaned up the small mess she made and walked back into the living room. Ponyboy was pacing the room looking restless. Copper couldn't help but laugh a little. He looked up when he heard her.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You. You look like my mother," Copper choked out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be fine. They had a big advantage."

"How'd you know I was thinking about that?" he asked.

"Because you look like you'd rather be out there than here taking care of me," Copper said honestly. "I guess I should be going," she said while walking towards the door. Just as she was going to open it, it flew open and four guys rushed in, yelling that they had won the rumble.

"How are you doing, little lady?" a boy who looked about her age asked while swinging an arm around her shoulders. He had reddish brown hair and long sideburns.

Copper rolled her shoulder so his arm would fall off and said, "A lot better now." She smiled at him so he wouldn't get too offended.

He laughed and said, "Name's Two-bit, you?"

At this point Copper realized that everybody in the room was looking at her. She grinned and said, "My name's Copper, Copper Terris. Now who are all of you?" She pointed to the three young men that she still didn't know the names of.

"My name's Darrell Curtis, but you can just call me Darry. That over there is my little brother Sodapop, you already met Ponyboy and Two-bit, and the guy with no sleeves is Steve," one of them said. Copper recognized him as the one who helped her out in the lot.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet all of ya! And thank you all so much for helping me out. But I better get going before my mom gets anymore worried than she probably already is," Copper said. She turned to walk out the door but Steve blocked her way.

"Hold on there, little lady. Number one, you can't just go walking around at night by yourself, especially after a rumble. And number two, you have a little explaining to do as to why you were with the Socs," he said.

Copper turned and saw that everybody was looking at her impatiently, waiting for her to tell them her story. She sighed and asked, "Can I use your phone to call my mom first?"

"Sure, it's right over there," Darry said. He pointed to the phone in the corner of the living room.

After a little persuading with her mom to let her stay the night with friends, which Soda had insisted on since it was late, she sat on the couch with everybody crowed around her like story time in kindergarten. Pony and Soda were on either side of her on the couch, Steve and Two-bit on the floor, and Darry in his armchair.

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**A/N: Please review if you want this story to continue! Oh, and this is my second time uploading this because I made the silly mistake of spelling Darry's full name 'Darryl' instead of 'Darrell'. cries**


	5. Darrell Curtis

**Disclaimer: I do not own _The Outsiders_. That belongs to S.E. Hinton, who is far more talented than I. No money is being made from this.**

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_**Chapter Five: Darrell Curtis**_

"Do you know a Soc named Sherry?" Copper asked to start things off. They all nodded in response. "Well, she had her brother, Mike, and his friends chase me down and kidnap me. Which is how I got this bruise," she pointed to the bruise on her forehead. "When I came to I was in her room. She came in and explained how she had this crazy plan to get you all not to fight tonight. She said that it would be an unfair fight since a lot of the Socs were off on vacation for the summer. Plus she didn't want her brother to get hurt since somebody had pulled a knife on him in the last fight."

"He pulled a blade on me first," Steve chimed in. "Damn broad better get her facts straight before running her mouth."

"She also told me about two boys named Dally and Johnny. Did you know them?" she asked, but instantly regretted it. Everyone looked at each other before Soda spoke up.

"Yeah, darling, we knew 'em. They were like our family, ya know? Still hard to believe they're gone," he said sorrowfully. Everybody nodded their agreement.

"I'm going to bed," Pony said suddenly and rushed off up the stairs.

"I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have brought them up…" Copper apologized.

Darry shook his head and said, "It's alright, you didn't know. He's been like this ever since it happened. Every time someone mentions them he puts walls up and runs off. I should go check on him, though." He stood up but Soda motioned for him to sit back down.

"I'm gonna go to bed anyways, gotta wake up early for work. Steve, you better be getting home soon so we're not late for once. It was real nice meetin' ya, Copper. I'll see ya'll in the morning." He dashed up the stairs after various versions of 'goodnight' from everybody.

"I guess he's right--we got a lot of cars sittin' in the shop. Two-bit, if you need a ride home you better hurry up. Goodnight, and it was nice meetin' ya, little lady," Steve said and headed on out, followed quickly by Two-bit.

"Is it always like that here?" Copper asked while giggling.

"No, there usually isn't a pretty girl hangin' out with us," Darry said. Copper blushed and mumbled a 'thank you'. "Did you want something to drink or eat?" he asked after a moment.

"A glass of water would be great," Copper said honestly. She watched as he stood and grabbed his back. He looked like he was in a lot of pain so Copper jumped up and grabbed his arm to push him back down in his seat.

"Thanks," he said quietly. "My back's been giving me problems lately."

"Maybe you work too hard, what do you do?" Copper asked.

"Roof houses," he said and chuckled.

"Well that's the problem. You need to pace yourself. You seem like one of those guys who lifts more than he should," she said playfully.

"You hit the nail right on the head. Soda and Pony are always yelling at me to stop working so hard. But that's how the bills get paid. Luckily I have off tomorrow so I'll be able to recover from the rumble tonight."

"Come on, let's go to your room," Copper said while gently pulling him up.

"Excuse me?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, not to do _that_. I'm gonna give you a backrub."

Darry sighed and led Copper up to his room. Once inside Copper instructed him to take off his shirt and lie down on the bed. While he was taking off his shirt Copper pretended not to stare--Darry pretended not to notice. He smirked to himself and laid down on his stomach. Copper slipped her shoes off and climbed onto the bed. She placed one knee on either side of his lower back and began slowly working out the numerous knots in his muscles. Darry groaned as he relaxed and she couldn't help but grin.

"So when did you move here?" he asked after a few minutes.

"About a month ago. Today was the first day that I was actually able to get out on my own," Copper answered.

"Some luck, getting kidnapped by Socs your first time out. Don't worry, the gang'll keep an eye out for ya from now on."

"Just the gang, huh? Not you?" Copper asked while scooting up to massage his shoulders.

"Of course I'll watch out for ya," he said, and then paused. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Seventeen, why?"

"Oh, you're just a baby," he said.

Copper sighed, a little ticked off that he called her a baby. She was seventeen years old! Yet, there was a different tone in his voice that she couldn't pick up. Upset? Relieved? Disappointed?

"Copper?" Darry asked, snapping Copper out of her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking," she apologized. "And I'm not a baby."

"Well, no, not technically. But you've got your whole life ahead of you yet. Too bad you had to move to Tulsa. Tulsa's got a bad rep for turning out high school dropouts. I just wish that Soda woulda stayed in school."

"Soda's not in school anymore? Why?" Copper asked, curious as to why he'd drop out.

"About a year and a half ago our parents died in a car accident. I had to take care of Soda and Pony and my paycheck just wasn't cutting it. So Soda dropped out and got a job at the DX to help pay some of the bills. I felt real bad, ya know? Like that I shoulda worked harder or something," he said. Copper could hear the frustration in his voice and felt his muscles tighten.

"I'm so sorry, Darry. It's not your fault. Soda chose to drop out. I bet he would of felt horrible if he didn't, watching you work so hard and all. Now if you don't stop getting upset we'll be here all night working out these knots!" she laughed.

"I can't say that I'd mind that. This is the best back rub I've ever gotten. You're a real doll, ya know that?" he asked.

Copper laughed and said, "Thanks." She was glad that he wasn't looking at her or he would have seen her blush.

They continued to make small talk for an hour. They talked about everything--Copper's old town, her friends, her mom, music, movies, books, but mostly they talked about the gang. She learned everything there was to learn about them. That Soda once had a horse named Mickey Mouse and how his girlfriend up and left him after she got pregnant by some other guy. How Ponyboy always has his heads in the clouds. Darry swears that he'll be a famous author some day. How Two-bit got his name and that his real name is Keith. He also loves Mickey Mouse. And beer. And blondes. Two-bit was quite the character. And how Steve is the most difficult to get along with. He's not too bright and most of the time Darry wants to punch him because of the way he acts. They even talked about Johnny and Dally for a little while. Dally was a real tough guy. A true hood. And Johnny was basically the exact opposite. She could tell that they all were like a big family. They cared about each other so much. Once finished talking about the gang they fell into a comfortable silence.

After a few more minutes Copper noticed that Darry was starting to doze off. She got up and slipped her shoes back on silently. She pulled a blanket over him and headed downstairs. She found a blanket and a pillow on the couch already and wondered who had put them there. Then she saw Ponyboy walk out of the kitchen and gave him a small smile and mouthed 'thanks'. He nodded and walked back upstairs with a glass of chocolate milk. She made up the couch and laid down, thinking about everything that had happened and all the crazy people that she met. She laughed a bit and shook her head.

"What a day," she grinned and let herself fall asleep.

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**A/N: Well, what'd you think? Please review so I know that you want this story to continue. **


	6. Breakfast and Jealousy

**Disclaimer: _The Outsiders _belongs to S.E. Hinton and I'm not making any money from this.**

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_**Chapter Six: Breakfast and Jealousy **_

The bright sunlight shining through the window woke Copper up shortly after dawn. She sat up and grinned as she remembered where she was. She already loved it here. Nobody was up yet, obviously, so Copper felt it was safe to grab a quick shower. She'd have to put the same clothes back on but at least she'd be cleaner than she is now. She jumped up and headed to the bathroom. She was always unusually hyper in the morning, which drove most other people nuts. Once inside she locked the door and began running the water. Stripping off her clothing she hopped into the warm shower, glad to be scrubbing off a day's worth of dirt. She only took a quick shower since she didn't want to waste the Curtis's hot water. Wrapping a towel around herself, Copper used her fingers as a brush to get the tangles out of her hair. She also used her finger as a toothbrush since she didn't have that either. But it worked well, just took a little longer. Finally she redressed and 'borrowed' one of the guys' deodorants so she wouldn't stink all day. Wandering around the first floor she finally settled back on the couch and turned the TV on. She watched about an hour of cartoons before deciding to make herself useful.

Heading back into the kitchen Copper peeked into the cupboards and refrigerator and pulled out the necessary ingredients to make pancakes. Mix, of course, milk, and chocolate chips. She figured since there was a chocolate cake in the fridge that they all liked chocolate. While mixing up the ingredients she kept in mind that there'd be five hungry boys eating so she followed the instructions for serving twelve people. To keep the finished pancakes warm she put them on a plate in the oven, set on the lowest temperature. She made the table in between flippings and rushed back into the living room to fold up the blanket she had used the night before. By the time she was done she had a gigantic stack of pancakes in the middle of the table, just in time for Darry to come downstairs. He walked outside, grabbed the paper, and was about to sit in his armchair when he realized what was in the kitchen. He approached the table and Copper, eyes wide.

"What's all this?" he asked.

Copper laughed and said, "Breakfast! What else would it be?"

"You didn't have to do this, doll. We usually have chocolate cake for breakfast."

"Well these have chocolate chips in them so don't worry, you'll still get your daily dose of chocolately goodness. And I remembered to make enough for Two-bit and Steve too," Copper said, very proud of herself. She didn't want to admit it but every time Darry called her 'doll' she blushed.

"I can see that. I'll have to repay you for this. You haven't seen much of the city, right?" Copper shook her head and he continued. "I'll show ya around today."

"Yay!" Copper squealed and gave Darry a huge hug. He tentatively put his arms around her waist for a moment before letting her go. He couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face at her enthusiasm.

"I'll go, uh, wake up Soda and Pony," he said and hurried up the steps. Copper could hear his powerful voice yelling for his younger brothers to come down to breakfast. He returned shortly after, followed by two sleepy teenagers.

"Morning!" Copper cheered. She didn't wait for their responses before seating them at the table in front of two plates filled with pancakes.

"Wow. Did you make these, Copper?" Soda asked.

"Yup. I hope you like 'em!" she answered while pouring them both a glass of milk.

"Thanks, they look great!" Ponyboy exclaimed. He took a big forkful and shoved it in his mouth. Copper watched timidly, waiting for his reaction. Once he swallowed he gave her a huge grin and a thumbs up before digging back into his breakfast.

"These are really good, darling. We should have you come over and make dinner too!" Soda said and Copper laughed.

She looked up and noticed that Darry had yet to touch his food--he was reading the newspaper. She rolled her eyes and cautiously sat in his lap. His paper immediately came down and he looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. Copper noted that he did that a lot.

"Well I figured that since you weren't going to eat these I might as well," she said with a hint of sarcasm. She picked up his fork and cut a small piece from one of the pancakes. It was almost to her mouth when Darry's large hand closed over her small one and directed it to his own mouth. Copper looked up and watched as he chewed and swallowed, the whole time staring intently into her eyes. She felt intimidated and intrigued and almost lustful all at the same time. He slowly smiled which caused her to grin like mad.

"They're very good," he said gently. That one, small phrase caused a slight shiver to run up Copper's spine. The mixture of his deep voice and the way he almost whispered his opinion made him sound like a man trying to seduce a woman into his bedroom. She unconsciously licked her lips as the two sat in silence for a moment, just looking at each other. The moment didn't go unnoticed, though, because Sodapop deliberately cleared his throat loud enough to get both of their attention.

Copper blushed furiously and moved out of Darry's lap and into her own chair. Soda and Pony shared smirks and breakfast continued on in silence until Steve and Two-bit arrived. They came charging through the front door like a hurricane and just about threw themselves at the plate of pancakes.

"Who made these?" Steve asked through a mouthful. He didn't even bother using a plate or silverware, just picked the pancakes up with his hands. Copper was vaguely reminded of a monkey. She grimaced slightly and raised her hand.

"Shoot, girl, you're a good cook. Oh, I swiped this for ya," Two-bit said and pulled a small, silver switchblade out of his pocket.

"Two-bit, she doesn't need a blade," Darry scolded. He took the knife out of Two-bit's hand and looked at it closely. "This seems familiar."

"Of course she needs a blade! What happens if one of us isn't there when that Soc wants revenge for that kick she gave him? That was a good kick, by the way, darling," Steve said. He winked at Copper and she smiled.

"I've never used a knife before," she said. She took the switchblade out of Darry's hand and tried to figure out how to open it.

"That's alright, sweetheart. Let's go into the living room and I'll show ya the basics," Two-bit said and pulled Copper up out of her chair.

"I should do the dishes first…" Copper said while Two-bit pulled her out of the kitchen.

"I'll take care of these, doll. Don't worry about it," Darry said.

By the time Darry was finished with the dishes, Copper had learned how to semi-quickly pull the blade out of her pocket and flick it open. Now Steve, Two-bit, and Copper were sitting on the couch watching Mickey Mouse, Sodapop was in the shower, and Ponyboy was in his room reading. When Darry walked into the living room he saw Steve pulling Copper into his lap and whispering something in her ear. She laughed and Darry couldn't stop the image of pummeling Steve to a pulp from entering his mind. He sat in his armchair and watched the pair.

"Steve, wouldn't Evie be upset if she saw you with Copper?" he asked.

"Don't worry, Superman, me and Evie are on a break. I think she's seeing someone from Shepard's gang. Why? You jealous?" Steve smirked and wrapped his arms tightly around Copper's waist. Copper looked at Darry curiously, waiting for his answer.

"No, I'm just worried that Evie might get jealous and start something with Copper," Darry said. He picked up his paper and hid behind it. "Soda! You better get out of that shower or you and Steve are gonna be late!" he hollered.

Copper frowned a little, disappointed with Darrell's answer. She had hoped that he was jealous because she was kind of attracted to him. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Soda running by in just a towel. Her eyes went wide and she could have sworn her jaw hit the floor. Two-bit gave a whistle and Steve slapped a hand over Copper's eyes. She laughed as he yelled at Soda to put some clothes on. Once he was upstairs Steve uncovered her eyes and she turned to look at him.

"Worried that I might be checkin' out Soda?" she asked with a grin.

"Just makin' sure that you're not tempted to follow him up them stairs," he replied.

"Steve's just tryin' to make you interested in him and not Sodapop. Usually girls take one look at ole' Soda and off come the panties," Two-bit laughed. Steve quickly took Copper off his lap and tackled Two-bit to the floor.

Copper watched as the two wrestled around and couldn't help but crack up. Steve seemed to have the upper hand, since he was bigger and all. In a few minutes he had Two-bit pinned and was yelling in his face for him to say 'uncle'. Finally Two-bit relented and they rejoined Copper on the couch. Steve swung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up against him while he waited for Soda. Copper caught Darry glare at Steve while turning the page of his newspaper. She raised her eyebrows and he looked away quickly. So, maybe he was a little jealous.

"I need my shoe!" Sodapop yelled as he raced down the stairs, this time with pants, one shoe, an unbuttoned shirt, and a hat. Copper broke out into a fit of giggles and Soda sent a million-dollar smile her way. Steve picked his lost shoe up off the floor and chucked it at Soda's head. "Hey now, no need to get hostile, Stevie," Soda quipped and put the shoe on.

"Alright little lady, me and Soda gotta get to work but maybe we could go to the drive-in tonight?" Steve asked with a hopeful smile.

Copper glanced at Darry, who was glaring daggers into the back of Steve's head, and grinned. "I'd love to go with you, Steve. Here's my address, pick me up around seven?" She quickly wrote down her address and slipped it into his shirt pocket.

"Sure thing," he grinned and ran out the door, followed by Soda.

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**A/N: Hmmm, drama? Please review and let me know what you think!**


	7. Finally

-**Disclaimer: I do not own _The Outsiders_. I'm not making any money from this.**

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_**Chapter Seven: Finally**_

"…and he's as dumb as a brick, and that girl of his will make your life hell if she finds out about this," Darry continued to rant and rave as he and Copper drove towards her house.

"He doesn't seem so bad. And I can handle 'his girl' if she wants to start anything," Copper said.

"Evie's a Greaser girl, through and through. She's tough and I'm not sure if you could hold your own in a fight with her," he sighed.

"Are you actually concerned about me or are you just mad that I'm going on a date with Steve?" Copper crossed her arms and looked at him.

"I'm concerned. He could break your heart and she could break a bone."

"Don't worry about him breaking my heart, I don't like him like anything other than a friend," Copper replied.

"What? Then why the hell are you going out with him tonight?" Darry asked, frustration growing. He pulled up into Copper's driveway and parked but didn't make a move to get out of the truck.

"Because he seems alright and I thought it'd be fun to hang out with him." Well, that was half of it. She couldn't just come out and say that she wanted to make him jealous by dating Steve, then her whole plan would be ruined. She wanted him to tell her that he liked her, not the other way around. "Now c'mon, let's get inside so I can get changed and you can show me around Tulsa," she got out of his truck and, after a loud sigh, he followed.

"Is your mom home?" he asked nervously. Wow, Darrell Curtis can be nervous? Copper was surprised.

"Are you afraid of my mom?" Copper asked with a laugh.

"Greaser boys don't really get along well with the parents of girls. I guess we kind of worry 'em," he answered, running a hand through his greasy locks.

"Don't worry, my mom's really nice. And she's at work now, anyway." Copper unlocked the front door and allowed Darry in. She followed and closed the door behind them.

"I'm just gonna run upstairs and change, make yourself at home," she said and motioned to the couch.

Upstairs Copper rummaged though her closet, looking for a nice outfit to make Darry sweat. She grinned as she picked out a dark red miniskirt and a low-cut white tank top. It was really hot out, after all. She put it on and slipped into white pumps. Just for good measure she applied a quick layer of makeup and headed back downstairs.

"I'm ready!" she called as she entered the living room.

Darry stood from the couch and stared at her, eyes wide for a moment. "You look great, doll."

"Thanks," Copper said and blushed. After an awkward moment of silence she spoke up. "Ready to go?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Darry fumbled and headed out the door.

Back on the road Darry told Copper about where she shouldn't go, mainly the South and West sides of town, and that she should always have someone with her no matter where she went. They pulled into the parking lot of the DX and he explained that this is where Steve and Soda worked. They hopped out of the truck and went inside, where Sodapop was working behind the counter.

"Well would ya look at you! You look great, girl!" Soda exclaimed when he saw Copper. "Hey Steve! Come check out your 'little lady'!"

Steve came in from where the tires were kept and grinned when he saw her. Darry rolled his eyes so hard that Copper thought they'd fall right out. Steve grabbed Copper's hand and had her twirl around, whistling as she did.

"Damn, I'm glad I asked you out before anyone else could," he said, looking her up and down.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Copper said with a small smile.

"Well, we better be heading out. I just wanted to show Copper where you boys worked so she knew where to find someone if she needed anything," Darry said quickly.

"I'll see you tonight, little lady," Steve whispered in Copper's ear.

She giggled softly and kissed his cheek, giving a Darry a sideways glance. Darry's eyes widened slightly and he grabbed her arm, pulling her behind him as he exited the DX.

"What the hell was that about?" Darry demanded while starting his truck.

"What was what about, Darrell?" Copper asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb. You know what you did, making me…" Darry cut himself off and stared at the road.

"Making you jealous?" Copper asked with a smirk.

"Of course not! I mean, you're just a baby!"

"You're in denial. You want to jump my boots and we both know it. So either do something about it or get over it because I'd really love to be going to the movies with you and not Steve," Copper snapped. She crossed her arms over her chest and starred out her window. She felt the truck slow down and finally come to a stop in front of a small diner called 'The Dingo'.

"You like me too?" Darry asked softly. Copper nodded, still not looking at him.

"Why? I'm too old for you and grumpy as hell," he asked.

"Four years isn't that much of an age difference. And maybe you're just grumpy because you haven't had a decent date in a while. So, what's it gonna be? Am I going to the movies with Steve tonight or not?"

Darrell reached out and cupped Copper's face in his huge hand. She turned and faced him and he immediately closed the small distance between them by claiming her lips with his own. It was a hungry, needy kiss. The kind of kiss that Darry's needed for a long time now. When he pulled away Copper's eyes stayed closed for a moment and he smirked to himself. He hadn't rusted up a bit in the long time that he hadn't kissed anyone. She finally opened her eyes and grinned up at him.

"There's no way in hell you're going with Steve tonight," Darry stated, leaving no room for argument. Not that Copper was about to argue--she had finally gotten what she wanted.

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**A/N: Please review! It really means a lot to me to hear what you think. Also, I'm kind of running low on ideas so throw some at me. Tell me what you want to see in later chapters.**


	8. Chapter 8

Copper and Darrell spent most of the day together after their kiss. There were no make-out sessions or even anymore kisses; just a lot of talking and exploring of Tulsa. Darrell seemed to want to keep a small distance between them while they were walking down the street and Copper was quick to notice it.

"I don't have cooties," she said with a smile, stopping outside a clothing shop to peer in the window. She may not have been a Soc but she was still a girl and girls liked to shop. Sadly her pockets were empty and that reminded her that she needed to find a job soon. Since her father walked out on them Copper always tried to make as much extra money as she could so the burden wasn't completely on her mom.

Darrell stopped next to the younger girl and gave a small, forced laugh. "I know you don't, doll." He was looking around constantly and it all started to become clear to Copper.

"You don't want to be seen with me, do you?" She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes up at the Greaser. "You didn't have a problem kissing me in your truck but now you act like you regret it."

"No!" Darrell said quickly and a little too loudly. People walking by them on the street glanced over with raised eyebrows. He lowered his voice and came closer to Copper, placing his large hands on her shoulders. "I want to be seen with you, but I'm just not sure if it's a good idea that we go around making out and holding hands and such. Like I said before, you're still a baby and I'm twenty-one years old; it wouldn't take much for the cops to throw me in jail and Soda and Pony into foster homes." He stopped and looked into her eyes, hoping she'd understand that he couldn't do anything to put his brothers in jeopardy.

Copper felt bad about accusing him of not wanting to be seen with her. She should have thought about the repercussions of someone his age being seen with a girl who was still in high school. She nodded and smiled at him, moving his hands off her shoulders and giving them a quick squeeze that she was sure no one else saw. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you." She could tell that Darry was a very protective person and would do anything he could to help the ones he loved. She thought it would be nice to be one of those lucky people in his heart one day.

They walked on in content silence until they were back to Darry's truck. "By the way, how are you gonna break it to Steve?" he asked, starting his truck and smirking to himself. He didn't feel bad about stealing Steve's date. Sure they were buddies but Steve had a habit of 'fucking and dumping' girls and Darry definitely didn't approve.

"I have a feeling he'll get over it quick," Copper said with a laugh and pointed out her window to Steve walking hand-in-hand with some girl. He still had his work uniform on so she assumed he was on break. Even though she played it off as being funny it still bothered her a little that he didn't have a problem making a date with her and then seeing this other girl, too. She rolled down her window as they drove past them and yelled out, "Hey Steve! Can't make the movie tonight babe! Something came up!"

Darrell almost drove off the road from laughing and gave Copper an 'I can't believe you just did that' stare. "Man, old Steve's really gonna get it now. That was his girl Evie there." He could tell that Copper wasn't as amused about the situation as he was. He put his hand on her knee and gave it a light squeeze. "That's why I didn't want you gettin' involved with him," he said, sounding like the big brother that he was. Copper covered his hand with hers and they stayed like that the rest of the ride back to her house.

"Thanks for showing me around," Copper said and hopped out of Darry's truck. The truck suited him well. It was big and mean-looking, just like the driver. But underneath it was hard-working and faithful, also like the driver. She patted it on the hood and smiled to Darry as he got out to walk her to the door. "I think you'll have to teach me to drive this beast someday."

"Sure thing, doll," Darry said with a grin. He loved his truck; saved up for two years to buy it. "But I'm gonna need something in return."

She turned around, about to say something smart, when her lips with captured by Darry's own. It was gentler than their last kiss but Copper could still feel the need behind it. There was a hunger in him that made her nervous and excited at the same time. Her arms snaked their way around his neck and she stood on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. When they heard a cough from the door of her house they broke apart and took a step back from each other, horrified looks on their faces. Copper's mom took a step out onto the porch, arms crossed over her chest just like Copper had done earlier.

They were a lot alike, Copper and her mom. They both had rich brown hair, big brown eyes and perfect little noses. But while her mom's lips were thinner, Copper had full lips that she inherited from her paternal grandmother. The similarities weren't skin deep, though. Their personalities were very close as well. They both tended to have a sharp tongue but were overall nice and caring people. And, like Copper, her mom had a wild streak when she was younger so she tended to let Copper get away with more than she probably should. However, that didn't mean that she approved of her daughter kissing an obviously older man in their front yard.

"Can you introduce me to your friend, Copper?" her mom asked, taking in the sight of the man in question. He was muscular, really muscular, and very handsome. He also looked like he could be mixed up with trouble. She smiled to herself and shook her head; the same kind of guy she would have been interested in.

"Mom, this is Darrell. Darrell, my mom," Copper said, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. She knew Darry was uncomfortable with the situation and she was praying her mom wouldn't say anything that would turn him off.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Darry said warmly, stepping forward to shake the woman's hand. "I'm sorry 'bout all that." Maybe if he apologized she wouldn't forbid Copper from seeing him. That was something Greasers were used to: parents forbidding their daughters from being involved with them. And it was all for good reason, too, he couldn't deny that.

She shook his hand and smiled. "Call me Denise, please. 'Ma'am' makes me sound so old." She was surprised to hear his apology and raised her eyebrows a little at Copper, surprised that her daughter might have actually chosen a gentleman this time. Not that she had been with a lot of boys before, but there hand been a handful of boys all trying to get Copper's attention before they moved to Tulsa. "And you don't have to apologize. I was young once, too. But I'd prefer to at least meet the man before seeing him stick his tongue in my daughter's mouth."

Darrell fumbled for words, his mouth hanging slightly open. Copper had the same expression before slapping her hand over her eyes, her cheeks turning pink. Denise laughed at the two of them and walked back inside, calling out to Copper that dinner would be done in a few minutes. She wasn't mad but she'd definitely get all the information out of Copper when she came inside.

"I'm so sorry!" Copper said, still trying to recover from her mom's embarrassing remark. She stepped closer to Darry and looked up at him, hoping he wasn't having second thoughts. "You still wanna pick me up later?"

Darry smiled and said, "You don't have to apologize for that. That was the best interaction with a girl's mom I've ever had!" They both laughed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before backing up to his truck. "Seven o'clock, doll!" Copper grinned and hurried inside, excited to get ready for their date.


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